


In which Keith nearly dies

by viraseii



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Fire, M/M, Near Death Experiences
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-01-26
Updated: 2018-01-26
Packaged: 2019-03-09 13:21:08
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 492
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13482336
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/viraseii/pseuds/viraseii
Summary: “We don’t have a choice. Do it.”





	In which Keith nearly dies

**Author's Note:**

> Prompt from yui cuz I’m trying to get over writers block

“We don’t have a choice,” Keith murmurs in his ear. “Do it.”

Lance shudders and lets his eyes close, breathing in the chilly air. “You’re already so weak, Keith, and you’re still connected to Red - I don’t know if it’s a good idea. You’d be better off teleporting out of here...”

“Lance.” Keith’s voice is brittle, fractured glass and frozen cobalt. Lance looks up at the endless maze of tunnels. It’s so fucking cold - the ice has already reformed over so smoothly that Lance hasn’t the faintest clue where to go.

The gravity shifts again. Lance grips Keith’s stiff body more tightly as everything careens to the right, refusing to let him touch anything colder than Lance’s arms. The boy’s going limp the more Lance tries to pull him into his chest.

“Okay,” Lance shudders out to try to calm himself down. “Okay. Okay- hm. Are you sure-“

There’s a weak whine of acknowledgment from Keith’s lips. Lance’s entire chest twists itself into cold little cubes of dread as it hits him how fucking weak Keith is.

And then there’s Haggar’s voice. “There you are, Red Paladin.” She raises her hand, and panic overwhelms every nerve in Lance’s body.

Energy thrums somewhere in the core of his chest, vibrating through his bones and slicing through his nervousness with pure, sharp adrenaline, honed to a point - something warm, ash and fiery strength, deep in his ribs, old. He’s not controlling this energy. It’s older than time, stronger than the undulating angry whizzing of every star in the universe. Lance lets his eyes close and ducks his head down to curl his body around Keith as pure white-hot flames burst from his entire body - the ice cavern collapses, water rushing inward, boiling and sloshing against Haggar as she screams.

Brilliant sunlight bursts through a gaping hole in the ice - the Red Lion plunges through, growling and opening herself for her two Paladins.

Lance rushes to get Keith inside. He’s cold, and Lance is trembling from letting Red’s magic through him - he’s not even sure if Keith’s _alive_ after a rush like that. Red’s energy is ruthlessly exothermic - Lance is left cold, weak, and Keith -

Yeah.

Pidge already has a pod set up, as promised. Allura immediately helps to carry Keith down to the healing pods - Lance can’t stop _looking_ at him. There’s frost spiderwebbed over his skin. Skin paler than the ice itself, fingers blue - even his loud red jacket seems silenced. Shiro takes him from Lance, carrying him away to get him into the suit for the pod.

Lance inhales and seats himself on the stairs.

“Haggar might still be alive,” Allura says gravely.

“I’ll kill her,” Lance promises.

“You know, if Keith wasn’t so _impulsive..._ ” Pidge trails off, her eyes sparkling with tears as she paces back and forth.

“He’ll be fine,” Hunk says reassuringly. “He’s a tough guy.”

“I hope you’re right,” Lance sobs out, dropping his head into his hands.


End file.
